


The Rainstorm of Fate

by orphan_account



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 06:31:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12788829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A storm has kept all citizens of Hyperion heights boarded inside, but when Roni finds Ivy out in it, she seems desperate to help.





	The Rainstorm of Fate

_"So, Citizens of Hyperion Heights, we strongly advise you to throw caution to the weather. Stay inside as best you can for the storm is heavy tonight, you don’t want to be caught out in that. Stock up on food and water and don’t be alarmed if there are any electricity cuts. With the torrential downpour, we can never guarantee maximum cosiness. Remember, Stay safe. This is Matthew Greene, bringing you the latest updates on Station 62."_

Roni scowled at her radio for a moment, pursing her lips before switching it off. She knew the storm was going to be bad, but hadn’t thrown any thought into the fact that nobody would be waltzing into her bar tonight.

Who was she kidding? Even from inside, she could hear the violent howling of the wind accompanying the constant thrashing of the rain. It was deafening.

The brunette finally took her head off her hand and stood up straight against her bar, casting a glance to her pitifully empty cash register. Oh well, hopefully after all of this is over, the people of Hyperion Heights would need a drink or two after spending all the time cooped up with their families like pigeons.

That single thought brought a subtle smirk to her lips as she cocked her head and made her way to close up the place she had naively prepared; switching off the lights and bolting the front door. Well, perhaps the good thing about the storm was that Henry was staying with Lucy and Jacinda, and then he better have some good details and a plan to share with her when the bar reopens.

Roni closed the blinds in her windows, still able to hear the pounding of rain attacking the glass. After a consequent shiver, the woman held her own arms before making her way to the back of the store and up to her apartment. The convenience of living on top of your own bar, right? It wasn’t much, but it suited her just fine.

It was always colder in the storeroom, and the woman almost ran to the stairs, only pausing when she thought she heard the quietest, smallest sneeze accompanying the rain. The brunette lingered on the bottom step, a gentle frown gracing her features as she listened harder, beginning to question her own imagination. She was just about to continue her ascent when the noise sounded again, and this time, she was sure it was real.

Gingerly, the brunette approached the back door, grabbing whatever was closest that she had to hand, (a bottle opener) and unbolted the heavy lock.

As Roni pushed open the weighty door leading into the back alley of her bar, she was almost assaulted by the heavy fall of rain, narrowly missing her eyelashes. The raindrops fell forcefully like a fleet or an army and the woman could hardly see five feet in front of her.

How she pitied anyone who was driving out in this.

Peering through the downpour crisis, Roni managed to make out her garbage cans, normal street mess and a… a dark, grey shape. The dark, grey shape sneezed and then swore timidly under her breath.

“Ivy?” The barkeeper asked incredulously in disbelief, glancing down at the girl who was clearly drenched from head to toe. She looked up to meet Roni’s confused stare with almost embarrassment as the water dripped steadily from her fringe onto her cheeks. The younger woman looked miserable, sitting in the back alley, hugging her knees to her chest, shivering, with rain-damaged makeup smudging her eyes.

A shrug barely rolled from the young Belfrey’s shoulders, sniffling loudly as she wiped rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.

“What are you doing out here in the rain?” Roni inquired with growing concern, completely forgetting the fact that Henry and Jacinda hadn’t made their minds up whether or not to trust Ivy.

Belfrey sighed, pulling the cuffs of her jacket further over her hands that were visibly shaking. It seemed to take her a while to find her voice. “Wallowing in self-pity and despair,” Ivy mumbled, sniffling loudly again, glancing up at the dark, cloudy sky that offered no mercy to the pelt of rain. Her voice was raw and quiet, where it had once been strong with arrogance and way too confident.

“Why don’t you come inside? I’ll fix you a drink. You’ll catch your death out here,” Roni offered, holding open the door and shivering herself. But Ivy didn’t move… maybe she was numbed to the spot? “Come on, I know you’re not typically thrilled of- well… me. But this is a storm!” she insisted, squinting through the rainfall.

Finally, the younger woman shifted, staggering to her feet. Her coat was drenched, and as she stood, the trickle of water dripped from the material it had soaked into. Obviously, she must’ve been there for a while. Roni waved her in, her arms instinctively wrapping around the girl’s shoulders as she shepherded her inside, yanking the door closed after her

“My God, you’re freezing and soaking! Well, you were just slumped in my back alley in the middle of a storm, which by the way, we’re going to have to talk about. Come on, let’s go upstairs,” She coaxed, one arm still around the young Belfrey girl as she helped her up the stairs slowly.

“I… I suppose I need to thank you, I- Where you just inviting me in with a corkscrew?” Ivy murmured, interrupted by a high-pitched sneeze, dizzily eyeing the appliance in the other woman’s grip.

Roni let loose a quiet, half chuckle as she supported the younger brunette, shaking her head softly from side to side. “Anyone could’ve been out there, I wanted to prepare myself, y’know, for some thugs trying to get free liquor.”

“And instead you got me,” Ivy considered in an amused whisper, shaking in Roni’s one-armed embrace.

“Don’t worry, I mean you don’t _look_ like a thug trying to get free liquor to me,” the older woman bargained, she would’ve smiled more if she wasn’t so concerned about how cold Ivy felt right now.

If she had charted it, it would’ve gone something like this:

. a lake

. a fridge

. frost

. an ice lolly

. a snowman

. the North pole

. Ivy

And even though they weren’t exactly what anyone would call friends or even really acquaintances, Roni was anxious that the girl wasn’t well at all. Hell, what was she even doing lingering around these parts when she could be lounging in some deluxe bathrobe in front of an open fire in her mother’s penthouse.

Her thoughts were only interrupted by another sneeze and Roni stumbled into her open apartment with the weight of supporting Ivy, and rest the girl on her couch. She was shaking.

“You l-live on top of-of your shop?” she stuttered, glancing around as she wrung her numbed white fingers together. Ivy flinched as Roni threw a pile of blankets onto her lap, almost astonished by the act of kindness.

The older woman moved to work her fire, it was old, and sometimes the fames didn’t light for minutes, but at least the rust thing worked. “Sure do,” Roni grunted with somewhat of a grin as she meddled with her fireplace “What? Is that way too low-maintenance for you?” finally, the fire lit, orange flames leaping up for joy and the woman glanced back at the huddled blanket stand on her couch with a proud smirk on her lips.

“No,” Ivy muttered, peeling herself out of her drenched coat almost looking unsure as where to put it. She offered a silent sigh of relief when Roni held her hand out for it. “I j-just thought people like… like grannies do that sort of thing.” Ivy sat awkwardly on one side of the couch, staring down at the pile of blankets, as if she didn’t know how to use them.

“Uh-huh. Is that right?” Roni teased, hanging the coat on a grate in front of the fire so it’ll dry, before returning to perch on the arm of the sofa right beside the younger woman who glanced up to her with what looked like a genuinely small smile.

“Don’t worry, I mean you don’t _look_ like a Granny,” Ivy responded, her voice was somewhat more towards its usual tone than the whimpering Roni heard in the alley. And… could she detect a sense of humour?

Roni chuckled again, the grin on her lips was all the more easier, and she unfolded the blankets that Ivy hadn’t touched, draping each one around her shivering, small frame. The cushions dipped under the other woman’s weight as she sat down on the sofa, a hesitant glance in her eyes.

“What happened Ivy?” She inquired softly, sitting cross-legged as she faced the other girl with a concerned frown. The young Belfrey paused. She looked so vulnerable, shivering and caught, like a doe, startled, in the headlights. Her dark eyes were wide and youthful, like she was just a girl.

“What do you mean?” it was Ivy’s last shot at sounding innocent, trying to cling to her reputation as if she had no clue that she was just sat in the rain.

“Ivy! What happened to lead up to you huddling with my garbage in the middle of a storm?” Roni asked again, her hand reaching out to place upon the younger girl knee. Although she had expected Ivy to grimace, make some sarcastic remark before jolting away from the touch. None of it came.

A sigh descended from the girl’s lips as she studied Roni’s hand a moment, deciding she actually liked the comfort. She cleared her throat, sighing again “My mother… My mother kicked me out, and I- don’t have anywhere else to go… I tried to ring Henry. He’s the only other person here that I thought may be able to help me, but-” Ivy trailed off with a final heavy sigh. Her head hung somewhat in shame

“Victoria just… kicked you out, in this rain?” Roni demanded in disbelief. Shuffling closer to the young brunette.

“She said I needed to cleanse myself, anyway.” Ivy mumbled with a nod as she recalled the scene. “She calls me dirt, that’s why”. The girl explained, gasping softly at the fact that Roni had reached out and now taken a hold of her hand.

Nobody had held her hand in… a long time, save for the annoying moment that Lucy made her hold her hand when crossing the road. But Ivy had no friends, no loving, supportive mother. Nobody cared for her in the slightest way to even go out on a dare to hold her hand.

It had been too long since anyone had ever shown her affection. And finally, her fingers closed around Roni’s and her gaze lifted to show what she hoped was coming off as a smile.

“Oh Ivy, I’m so-” the barkeeper began, shaking her head in compassion.

“Please, don’t say sorry.” Ivy forced herself to cut in, the order had returned to her voice, even when she hadn’t meant it too. But she wasn’t going to let anyone feel sorry for her…

That, Roni could understand. She was much of a determined person, just like Ivy, who couldn’t bear the thought of needing help, or expressing any kind of need. “So… what’s going to happen? You can’t live in the alley.”

“I know that, I accidentally pissed myself off thinking about the condition of my clothes!” Ivy stressed in a quiet, pitiful wail. Her two-piece matching jacket and skirt were dirty and frayed in places, and the white blouse beneath was so wet had become mostly see-through and-

Roni gulped silently at the sight, she hadn’t noticed until now. But know it was too difficult to tear her gaze away from Ivy’s chest, or even to stop it from returning to the accidental rendezvous point.

“Well, there’s no reason why you can’t stay here? At least until you get back on your feet.” She offered, softly squeezing the younger woman’s hand.

Ivy laughed softly, and Roni’s jaw almost dropped into the ground floor of her bar. She had never heard Ivy Belfrey laugh before… and it was the most heart-lightening thing. Ivy laughed, until she realized that the other woman wasn’t kidding. “Wait. You’re serious? If my mother found out-”

“If you’re mother found out, I will talk to her over a nice over-priced glass of vodka and does it really matter? She kicked you out and you’re worried about impressing her?”

Ivy swallowed thickly, unintentionally brushing her thumb against the back of Roni’s hand, not noticing what she was doing. “I just thought… maybe if she ever wanted to accept me back…” The young woman sighed, shaking her head at the slightest glimmer of false hope.

“You don’t need a controlling woman like that in your life. You don’t need a mother, you know what you need? A roommate!” Roni decided brightly, a soft tone of colour rendering her cheeks from Ivy’s touches.

“And let me guess… you’re volunteering?” Belfrey laughed again, erupting butterflies in the bartenders stomach that the woman didn’t even know existed. Was that supposed to happen?

“Well honey, it’s either me, the police or the alley cats.” Roni teased again, almost jumping in shock and alarm when Ivy leant against her shoulder, her wet hair soaking into the short sleeves of her shirt.

The young brunette pretended to think about it, pursing her lips as she hummed. “Do that cats bite?” together, the two women laughed softly, actually intrigued by how easy it was to feel comfortable being with the other. “It’s still cold,” Ivy finally complained. Roni had known she wouldn’t have lasted the whole time without making some sort of fuss.

Digging in the pocket of her jeans, the older woman pulled out two tiny shot-bottles of scotch, like the little things you get on planes, handing one over to the girl. “My treat,” Roni smirked, practically huddling together for the warmth.

“Is that your remedy for everything?” Ivy inquired with a timid laugh, sitting up slightly as she accepted the vial gratefully.

“No, but it is your favourite. And maybe it’ll stop you getting mad at how cold it is, lest you bite my head off,” the woman counter-argued with a smug grin, pushing a loose strand of Ivy’s dark, damp hair behind her ear.

“Don’t worry Roni, my head-biting days are over,” Ivy announced almost proudly, a blush creeping up her neck and into her firm, usually pale cheeks.

“Well gee, that sure is good to know, I no longer fear for my life,” She watched a moment as Ivy laughed again, drinking from her bottle as she still entwined their fingers. “You know… Ivy… Victoria is cruel and mean and I _am_ sorry that you were on the other end of it, nobody deserves to be shot down like that, especially by their mother,”

“Roni, It’s okay, she’d been… like that my whole life, or the majority of it anyway. I guess, I just grew to accept the fact that I will never be worthy of appreciation.” The words had barely left her lips before the older woman had hooked her fingers beneath Ivy’s chin and had directed her gaze back to her.

“You listen to me Ivy, Don’t ever say anything like that again. You’re worth that and so much more. You deserve eternal happiness. A happy ending. Something cheesy like that! You are appreciated, if not by Victoria, then you are by me,” Roni concluded seriously. Her breaths came slightly faster, staring at the girls face for any sign of understanding. “You mean something to me, Ivy,”

The girl glanced back up, her cheeks were wet again, but not of rain. Tears glazed over her dark, glossy eyes, and she battered them away with the back of her hand. “Really?”

Roni nodded instantly, her fingertips softly grazing across Ivy’s jaw, slowly and tentatively leaning forward to place her plump, warm lips upon the others. She kissed her softly, almost experimental at first, but after a second of overthinking, Ivy kissed her back, raising a cold hand to the womans cheek.

They broke apart, and silence fell, the atmosphere was thick with tension. It lasted long, too long and Roni worried that she’d overstepped her boundaries, that was, until Ivy quickly crashed their lips together again in another wondrous kiss.

 

They sat huddled together, in front of Roni’s old fireplace with a blanket draped over their shoulders, forcing the two of them to sit close to share it. Never had Ivy felt this happy, even if all she had done was kiss a woman for the past half an hour.

“So, do you want to do it? Stay here… with me?” Roni finally asked, breaking the silence as she wrapped her arms tighter around the girl.

“I don’t need a roommate, Roni,” Ivy spoke, starring at the flames before redirecting her gaze to the other woman. She looked hurt, almost disappointed, and the young Belfrey rushed to continue. “I need a girlfriend,”

 Roni’s face lit up, biting on her lip as she dared not believe the words that came out of the girls’ mouth, “You mean it?”

“Well, it’s either me, the police or the alley cats.” Ivy teased playfully, leaning into the other to press a kiss to Roni’s cheek.

“Okay, let’s make a deal… I’ll be your girlfriend, if you move in here,” Roni announced smugly, obviously proud of her idea, pulling Ivy even closer into her side.

Ivy smiled, like she hadn’t in far too long, smiled like she was the happiest woman, and nodded finally.

“Deal,”.


End file.
